Portable ditching trainer



June 16, 1959 G. M.,CROSS ET AL PORTABLE DITCHING' TRAINER s sh ets-sneak 1 Filed Nov. 14, 1957 R 0 MRM TO N m 8 S mm lv N E L an V E 0 ss T O S a T RU 9 GR pm J1me 195.9 G. M. cRoss ETAL 2,899,529

PORTABLE DiTCHING TRAINER I GROSVENER M. GROSS RUSSELL S. RYMER A okNEys 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTORS GROSVENER M. moss nrouwsx @E S. RYMER vw ft RUSS June 16, 1959 G. M. CROSS ETAL' PORTABLE nncnmc' TRAINER Filed Nov. 14, 1957 United States Patent Ofifice 2,890,529 Patented June 16, 1959 PORTABLE DITCHIN G TRAINER Grosvener M. Cross, New York, and Russell S. Rymer, Malverne, N.Y., assignors, by mesne assignments, to the United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy Application November 14, 1957, Serial No. 696,579 6 Claims. (11. 35-12 The present invention relates generally to training devices and more specifically to ditching trainers wherein a trainee sitting in a simulated airplane cockpit is accelerated downward into and overturned in a pool of water, thereby simulating sea crash-landing.

In the prior art devices for use in training pilots the procedures for ditching an airplane in the sea, large, cumbersome and permanent structures were required to be built on the edge of a pool of water. Besides being very expensive and immovable, these devices are hazardous and occupy too much of the pool area when the pool is being conventionally utilized. The present invention overcomes the attendant disadvantages of the prior art devices by being simply constructed and designed as a portable unit.

A principal object of the invention is to provide a ditching trainer which is portable.

Another object is to provide a ditching trainer which is simply and compactly constructed and inexpensive to manufacture.

Still another object is to provide a novel carriage overturn device.

Yet another object is to provide a novel method of overturning a structure.

Still another object is to provide a ditching trainer having a short spar.

Yet another object is to provide a ditching trainer which simulates an airplane crashing into the sea under its own power.

Still another object is to provide a novel method of simulating a long spar.

Other objects and many of the attendant advantages of this invention will be readily appreciated as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description when-considered in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein:

Fig. 1 is a perspective side elevation view of the ditching trainer showing the spar in its elevated position,

Fig. 2 is a perspective rear view of the ditching trainer,

Fig. 3 is a rear view of a portion of the carriage showing the overturned mechanism, and

Fig. 4 is a perspective side view of the ditching trainer showing the compactness of the unit.

Referring to the figures, a main support 10 is provided with a spar 12 pivotally mounted thereon at 14. Support 10 consists of a horizontal section 10a and a section 10b obtusely fixed to the horizontal section 10a. A carriage 16 is slidably retained on the spar 12 and resembles the cockpit of an airplane. At 18, a control station 20 is pivotally mounted and is free to swing outward away from the support 10. Control station 20 is provided with legs 21 and controls the operation of spar 12 and carriage 16.

Support 10 has fixedly mounted thereon a motor 22 which is controllable from control station 20. Motor 22 drives the elevating means 24 and 26 which are pivotally mounted to the support 10 and spar 12. The elevating means 24 and 26 are preferably hydraulic deroughness.

vices and motor 22 serves to provide fluid to them. Situated at the four corners of the horizontal section 10a of support 10 are four wheels 28 which are mounted on the lever arms 30. Lever arms 30 are pivotally connected to the lever supports 32. Cranks 34 and screws 36, retained within the mounts 38, serve to place the support 10 on wheels, thus providing portability of the device. The support 10 is placed on wheels by screwing the screws 36 vertically downward against the lever arms 30. This action forces the lever arms 30 downward and lifts the support 10 up on wheels; the reverse operation retracts the wheels 28. Mounted at each end of the support 10 are stands 40 and 42 which are provided with adjustable end jacks 44 contained therein. End jacks 44 are preferably screw jacks and balance the device when it is placed on a site which is not level.

Spar 12 in its preferred form consists of three sections, 12a, 12b and 120 hinged together by hinges 46 and, when folded outward, forms a continuous boom. Along the spar 12 are rollers 48 which protect the cables from Section 120 of spar 12 is forked at its unhinged end and contains a pulley within the forked area. A cam 51, whose function will become apparent later, is also placed on the section 120. A hydraulic device 52, operated from the control station 20, is connected to the sections 12b and 12c of spar 12 and unfolds the heavy section 120 outward. Section 12a of spar 12 has mounted thereon at 54 (Fig. 2) a pulley 56. On the underside of section 12b a cable guide 57 is attached.

Carriage 16 consists of a compartment 58 pivotally and removably mounted at 60 on the cart 62. Eight free-rolling wheels 64 are rotatably mounted on the cart 62. The wheels 64, besides providing the carriage with minimum friction, serve to hold the cart 62 on the spar 12 by rolling against the L-bend edges 66 (Fig. 3) of the spar 12. An axle 68 is mounted to and extends through the cart structure at 70 and 72. Fixedly attached to the portions of the axle 68 which extend through the cart structure are sprockets 74. At the center of the axle 68, a pulley 76 is fixedly mounted. Sprockets 78 are rotatably connected at 60 to the cart and are joined by axle 63. Axle 63 is removably afiixed to the compartment 58. Linking sprockets 74 and 78 is a chain 80. A safety catch 82 couples the cart 62 to the compartment 58 and is released when the roller 84 traverses the cam 51 during the descent of the carriage 16.

An advancing device 88 and a retracting device 86 are fixedly mounted (Fig. 2) on the horizontal portion 10a of support 10. These devices are preferably hydraulic and are operated from the control station 20. Each of the hydraulic devices 86 and 88 have drive arms 90 and 92 respectively, each of which operates 180 degrees out of phase with the other. Block-and-tackle devices 94 and 96 are connected to the support 10 and to the ends of the drive arms 90 and 92 respectively. The block-and-tackles 96 and 94 operate to multiply the movement of the drive arms 99 and 92.

A single cable 98, operating as the tackle element of both block-and-tackles 94 and 96, extends from block-andtackle 94 up the underside of spar 12, is guided around cable guide 57, then around pulley 56, is brought up and wrapped around pulley 76 from front to back, preferably more than two turns, and then brought out on the underside of pulley 76 and down the upper side of spar 12, is guided around pulley 50 and finally brought up the underside of section of spar 12 to block-and-tackle 96, there to operate as the tackle of said block-and-tackle 96.

A warning bell is also mounted on the support 10 and is operated from the control station 20 when the spar or its associated parts are in motion.

In operation, the ditching trainer is brought to the site of its operation and is oriented in the most expedient 3 direction (Fig. 4). The wheels 28 are then retracted by unscrewing the screws 36 on turning the cranks 34. After the unit is rendered immovable, and jacks 44 are adjusted to level the trainer. Control station 20 is then pivoted outward and is rested on its legs 21. Section 12a of spar 12 is manually swung outward and section 12c is swung outward by the operation of the hydraulic device 52 which is controlled from control station 20. The removable compartment 58 is then mounted on the axle 63. A trainee next gets into the compartment 58 and the operator sounds the warning bell 100 by manipulation of a control on control station 20; this clears the area and prepares the trainee for action. The operator then elevates the spar by manipulating a control on control station 20; this operates motor 22 to provide fluid to elevating means 24 and 26.

The carriage 16 is then accelerated downthe spar by applying a force in addition to the gravitational pull on the carriage 16 by operation of control station20; at the end of its travel, the compartment 58 of the carriage 16 overturns into the water. The application of a downward force on carriage 16 serves two major functions: it permits the use of a short spar and also simulates an airplane crashing into the sea under its own power. The force is provided as follows: Control station 20 operates motor 22 to provide fluid to advancing device 88. This causes the drive arm 92 to withdraw into the advancing device 88. The movement of the drive arm 92 is multiplied by the action of block-and-tackle 96 and is transmitted to the carriage 16 via cable 98. The pull downward on cable 98 exerts a force on pulley 76 which tries to rotate said pulley in a rearward direction. This rotational force is transmitted via axle 68 to sprocket 74 and then, via chain 80, to sprocket 78. A force tending to rotate the rear of compartment 58 into the cart 62 is thus realized. Inasmuch as the compartment 58 is estopped from. rotating by cart 62, the force, applied along cable 98 by the withdrawing of drive arm 92, pulls carriage 16 downward. As carriage 16 rides down the spar 12, the drive arm 90 of retracting device 86 spends out. During the descent of carriage 16, the roller 84 of safety catch 82 rides up the cam 51 on section 120, releasing catch 82. Near the finish of the descent of carriage 16, the end of the cable 98 which connects to retracting means 86 ceases to spend out. When this cessation of cable spending out accompanies the forward motion of the carriage 16, a force is applied to pulley 76 tending to rotate said pulley in a forward direction. This forward rotational force is transmitted to sprocket 74 and then to sprockets 78 via chain 80. A forward rotational force applied to sprockets 78 will, if the forward end of compartment 58 is in the forked area of section 120, overturn the compartment 58 because the sprocket 78 is afl'ixed to compartment 58. Inasmuch as this is the situation when the carriage 16 reachesthe end of spar 12, the compartment 58 overturns.

Retracting the carriage 16 is accomplished in the reverse manner to pulling the carriage 16 down the spar 12: a slight withdrawal of drive arm 92 with drive arm 90 stationary places turns of cable on pulley 76, after which drive arm 90 is withdrawn into the retracting means 86,

thereby causing the cable 98 to pull upward on the carriage 16. This operation erects the carriage and returns it to its start position.

The spar 12 is then readied for its next operational cycle.

Obviously many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in the light of the above teachings. It is therefore to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.

We claim:

1. A ditching trainer comprising a support, a spar provided with a forward end pulley and an aft end pulley, said spar being pivotally mounted on one end of said support, elevating means coupled to said spar and said support to raise one end of said spar, a control operable with said elevating means, an advancing means mounted on said trainer, a retracting means mounted on said trainer, said advancing and retracting means being operable with said control, a carriage slidably retained on said spar and comprising a cart provided with an overturn pulley mounted thereon, a compartment, sprocket means pivotally mounted on said cart and fixed to said compartment, drive sprocket means coupledto and driven by said overturn pulley, and chain means linking said first sprocket means to said drive sprocket means, and cable means coupled to said advancing means, guided around said forward end pulley, wound at least once around said overturn pulley, guided around said aft end pulley and coupled to said retracting means, said compartment overturning by spending out the turns on said overturn pulley after advancing' ceases.

2. The structure of claim 1 including a safety catch mounted on said carriage and coupling said compartment to said cart thereby preventing overturning, and a cam mounted on the forward end of said spar operating to release said catch when overturning can safely occur.

3. The structure of claim 2 wherein said spar consists of hinged sections which when folded out form a continuous spar.

4. The structure of claim 3 including wheels retractably mounted on said support thereby making said trainer portable.

5. The structure of claim 4 wherein said elevating means, said advancing. means and said retracting means are hydraulic cylinders.

, 6. The structure of claim 5 including block and tackle means operable with said cable to multiply the movement produced by said advancing and retracting means.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS sp-a 

